Epilogue – Jennie
The sound of laughter drifts through the garden, tangled up with the scent of grilled meat, summer wine, and blooming jasmine.
There’s music playing low from a speaker in the corner—one of Zoe’s chaotic playlists, which means we’ve gone from Ed Sheeran to Bad Bunny to Elvis Presley in the last twenty minutes.
It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s perfect.
I sit on the patio, barefoot, wine glass in hand, watching as the people I love fill every inch of our home with life.
Zoe and Violet are bickering about who’s better at charades. Logan is half-lounging on the grass with a beer in one hand, talking to Kaz about something I can’t hear.
And in the center of it all—Adrian.
He’s holding our son, Grayson.
It’s the most disarming thing to see. This powerful, ruthless man I once feared, walking around with a giggling one-year-old balanced effortlessly on his arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I swear, our son has him completely wrapped around his little fingers. One soft whimper, one scrunched little face, and Adrian melts into this gentle, attentive man who would burn down the whole world to make it better again.
I love watching them. Every day. Every hour. It’s like falling in love a thousand times over.
“You’re staring,” Violet says, sinking into the chair beside me and stealing a sip of my wine. “Again.”
I smile into my glass. “Can you blame me?”
“No,” she admits, grinning. “You got your dark prince. And now you’ve turned him into a dad who changes diapers and reads bedtime stories.”
I laugh, heart full. “He still swears at the cartoons though.”
She laughs too. “Some things never change.”
Across the lawn, Adrian catches my gaze. He mouths, You okay?
I nod. I’m more than okay.
He walks over and leans down to kiss me, our son squealing happily between us.
“Need anything?” he murmurs, brushing a curl away from my cheek.
“Nothing,” I whisper. “I have everything.”
I mean it.
A year ago, I didn’t think I’d survive this life. But now, I’m not just surviving—I’m thriving. I have a man who loves me like it’s his religion. A son who giggles like sunshine. A family forged through fire and war, but standing strong, laughing loud, living fully.
This life may have come out of chaos. But what we’ve built together—it’s peace. It’s power. It’s ours. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Adrian wanders off again with Grayson, bouncing him gently as they head toward the garden path lined with hanging lanterns and the faint smell of lemon trees.
Grayson is babbling at something only he and Adrian seem to understand, and Adrian nods solemnly like it’s the most serious thing he’s ever heard. My heart swells.
“Oh, God, you’re whipped.” Violet gags.
Laughing, I turn to her just as Zoe joins us, barefoot and flushed from laughing. She sinks down beside Violet and sighs dreamily as she gazes at Lukin—who is now trying to juggle a toddler, a plate of food, and a business call.
She exhales slowly. “Marrying Lukin is the best thing that ever happened to me. I hate saying it because it sounds so sappy, but…it’s true.”
I laugh. “I feel the same. Every single day.”
I glance at Violet, who lifts one brow like she knows what’s coming.
“It’s time you found someone, too,” I say sweetly, nudging her with my knee.
Violet groans and takes a long sip of wine. “Not to shit on your parade—and I know you’re both in love with your men—but let’s not forget they practically kidnapped you guys. I’m willing to let it go…but I haven’t forgiven them.”
We all burst out laughing.
“I mean,” she adds, waving her glass dramatically, “you guys got love, diamonds, and full-blown Bratva weddings out of it. I got trauma and am constantly worrying if you’re both okay. We’re not the same.”
Zoe grins. “You’re being dramatic. The guy you punched that night definitely had it coming.”
“And I stand by it.” Violet smirks. “But I’m not rushing into anything until a man can promise me he won’t tie me up in a warehouse first.”
“Fair,” I admit, giggling so hard I nearly spill my drink. “But when you do fall, you’ll fall hard.”
Violet rolls her eyes and is about to say something when Adrian returns, Grayson now asleep on his chest like a warm, chubby little sloth.
“Miss me?” he asks, planting a kiss on my forehead and resting his hand protectively on my shoulder.
I smile up at him. “Always.”
He hands the sleeping Grayson to Violet—who fumbles but takes him with a surprising amount of grace—and then he tugs me to my feet with that familiar look in his eyes.
“Where are we going?” I whisper, laughing as he pulls me through the patio doors and into the garden. The lanterns cast a golden glow across the grass, and soft music drifts from the speakers hidden in the hedges.
I’m about to ask again when he suddenly slides one arm around my waist and the other gently cradles my hand.
Then he starts to twirl me.
I squeal, breathless with laughter as the silk of my dress flares around my legs. He spins me once, twice, then pulls me close until our bodies are flush.
We sway slowly under the stars, the world shrinking until it’s just us. His palm settles on the small of my back, his thumb brushing soft, lazy circles through the fabric. I rest my head on his chest, right where his heart beats steady and sure.
“I love you,” I whisper, voice thick with emotion. “So much it terrifies me sometimes.” I search his eyes, half-laughing, half-crying. “Thank you for forcing me to marry you.”
His brows lift, surprised. “That’s not something most women thank a man for.”
“I know.” I smile, brushing my thumb along his jaw. “But if you hadn’t…I never would’ve known this kind of love existed. I never would’ve known you.”
Adrian’s eyes darken, his grip tightening around me like he’s afraid I’ll vanish.
“You were mine from the beginning,” he says quietly. “Even before I knew your name. All of it—everything we went through—it was just fate and time catching up.”
He leans in and kisses me, slow and reverent, like I’m a prayer he’s been repeating his whole life.
When we break apart, I rest my forehead against his. His hand is over my heart. Mine over his.
Just us.
Together.
Always.
*****
THE END